When I'm walking down my hallway my cat follows me as always, but she always attacks my legs with her 2 front paws. It is very gentle, no scratching, hissing or biting.
I'm just curious, why is this happening?
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Age? One of mine did this at around 1 year of age; I presumed it was play-hunting. I don't have a tail she could chase, and she didn't have feline playmates.– keshlamCommented Aug 26, 2015 at 2:06
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Shes actually 1 1/2 years old. I kind of guessed it was play hunting but wasnt too sure.– MarieCommented Aug 26, 2015 at 2:22
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1 Answer
The attack using the front paws to catch something this way can be seen among younger cats when they play very frequently (watch cat videos on YT). It is a technique needed for hunting. You can see this when big cats as lions hunt and nearly always when kittens play.
Your legs resemble the back of a fellow cat. This is an ideal test prey. Be happy that your cat is playing this gently. Not all cats are so considerate. This means your cat knows about your fur beeing rather thin and delicate and thus keeps her claws withdrawn. With fellow cats this is not necessary the case.
My cats used to play this way, too, when they were younger. They also liked it, when I turned the table on them and chased them.
